Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 medium cabbage
  • 2 pounds ground beef, inexpensive 80% lean works best
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 can (32 oz.) of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups chicken broth (canned is good enough!)
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt
  • pepper

Instruction

  • Remove the core from the cabbage without separating the leaves: with a sturdy narrow knife cut around the core, then remove it carefully, and you'll end up with a hole right in the middle of the cabbage head.
  • Boil a large pot of salted water. Submerge the whole head of cabbage into the boiling water with the hole facing up, cover the pot and boil for about 5 minutes, until the outer leaves soften and begin to separate from the cabbage head. Remove the outer leaves and place them into colander to drain and to cool. Continue boiling and separating the leaves until most of your cabbage is out of the pot and in the colander.
  • Prepare meat filling: A) Boil rice until it is half way done, drain it and put it aside to cool. B) In medium saute pan heat oil, add onion, celery, carrots and saute on medium heat until vegetables soften a bit. C) Add minced garlic to the pan, cook for another minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and let vegetables cool slightly. D) In the large mixing bowl mix together ground meat, sauteed vegetables, the undercooked rice, salt, pepper, dill, you can also add some chopped parsley. Mix everything nicely with your hands (or with a sturdy wooden spoon, if you don't like mixing this with your hands...).
  • Assemble the "pigeons": A) Lay the cabbage leaf flat on the cutting board or large plate, thick leaf stem facing up. B) With sharp paring knife remove some of the thick part of the stem without cutting through the leaf (the purpose of this step is to make the leaf thinner at its thickest part that we could easily fold it). C) Place about 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling onto the leaf and fold it into a nice tight parcel. D) continue with the rest of leaves and filling.
  • Cover the bottom of large stock pot with the cabbage leaves that you did not use (torn, too small or simply left over). You can use the same pot that you boiled your cabbage in. Layer the stuffed cabbage leaves in the pot by placing them snug to one another. When all stuffed cabbage is in the pot, pour chicken stock and crushed tomatoes on top of the whole thing, cover the pot and let it cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.
  • Serve stuffed cabbage with the soupy tomato sauce from the same pot, with some boiled buttered potatoes, and some sour cream.